Urheberrecht und Naturwissenschaften

Works in the natural sciences are provided with comparatively less copyright protection than literary works. Nevertheless, this protection is important- for scientists. However, more recently, modern methods and techniques of information and documentation, such as reprography, microfilm archives, electronic data storage and retrieval, and data transmission have questioned the justification and effectiveness, even in principle, of this protection. A more detailed analysis demonstrates that this involves not so much a crisis of copyright law as a crisis of the entire field of scientific information.     

Determinants of parental decisions to abort for chromosome abnormalities

Parental decisions concerning the continuation of pregnancy following prenatal detection of abnormal chromosomes were evaluated for 80 patients whose diagnosis and prenatal counselling were performed in our centre. Twenty-two anomalies were diagnosed by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and 58 by amniocentesis. The severity of the chromosome anomaly and associated ultrasound findings in the first vs. second trimester were correlated with patients' decisions. No difference was found in the likelihood of parental decisions to interrupt or continue a pregnancy between CVS and amniocentesis for either the‘severe’ or the‘questionable’ group of chromosome anomalies. Ninety-three per cent of patients with severe prognosis and 27 per cent with questionable prognosis opted for pregnancy termination (p <0·0001). The association of ultrasound anomalies and termination was highly significant (p< 0·001). The severity of the chromosome anomaly, and, to a lesser extent, the visualization of anomalies on ultrasound were the major determinants of parental decisions to terminate the pregnancy. The diagnosis of an anomaly in the first trimester was no more likely ito lead to a termination of pregnancy than in the second trimester.     

CURRENT REFINERY PROBLEMS AND ISSUES IN PETROLEUM IMPORTING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

This article discusses the problems facing refinery operations in developing countries and possible solutions to them. The topics covered include security of crude oil supply to the developing countries; difficulties encountered in development of indigenous expertise in refinery operation; refinery capacity and the special problems of maintenance and repair facing refinery operators in the developing parts of the world; and the potential for improved refinery operation through increased international co-operation.     

Cultural and individual differences in self‐rating behavior: an extension and refinement of the cultural relativity hypothesis

This study examined the relationships between culture, individual attributes, and self‐rating behavior among 1,786 university students in Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and Japan, and in doing so extended and refined the cultural relativity hypothesis. It explored the difference between vertical and horizontal individualists in self‐rating behavior, and examined the mediating effects of two individual attributes, self‐enhancement propensity and general self‐efficacy in the relationship between individualism and self‐rating behavior. The results confirmed that individualism is the cultural driver for self‐rating leniency, and that the individual‐level assessment of individualism is a stronger predictor of self‐rating leniency than are culture‐level differences. Vertical individualism was found to be positively related to self‐enhancement propensity, which in turn was positively related to self‐rating. Whereas, horizontal individualism was positively related to general self‐efficacy, which in turn had a positive relationship with self‐rating. We discuss the implications of the results for academic research and practical management. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of the operating window concept to remediation‐option selection

An Erratum has been published for this article in Remediation 14(4) 2004, 141. The selection of remediation options for the management of unacceptable risks at contaminated sites is hindered by insufficient information on their performance under different site conditions. Therefore, there is a need to define “operating windows” for individual remediation options to summarize their performance under a variety of site conditions. The concept of the “operating window” has been applied as both a performance optimization tool and decision support tool in a number of different industries. Remediation‐option operating windows could be used as decision support tools during the “options appraisal” stage of the Model Procedures (CLR 11), proposed by the Environment Agency (EA) for England and Wales, to enhance the identification of “feasible remediation options” for “relevant pollutant linkages.” The development of remediation‐option operating windows involves: 1) the determination of relationships between site conditions (“critical variables”) and option performance parameters (e.g., contaminant degradation or removal rates) and 2) the identification of upper‐ and lower‐limit values (“operational limits”) for these variables that define the ranges of site conditions over which option performance is likely to be sufficient (the “operating window”) and insufficient (the “operating wall”) for managing risk. Some research has used case study data to determine relationships between critical variables and subsurface natural attenuation (NA) process rates. Despite the various challenges associated with the approach, these studies suggest that available case study data can be used to develop operating windows for monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and, indeed, other remediation options. It is envisaged that the development of remediation‐option operating windows will encourage the application of more innovative remediation options as opposed to excavation and disposal to landfill and/or on‐site containment, which remain the most commonly employed options in many countries. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Symptom patterns, and perceptual and cognitive styles in subjects with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is defined as a syndrome with multiple medically unexplained symptoms attributed to low levels of chemically unrelated substances in the environment. The etiology of this syndrome is still unclear. As MCS may be conceptualized as an atypical type of somatoform disorder, the purpose of the study was to examine whether MCS subjects show symptom patterns, personality traits, and perceptual and cognitive styles as typically found in somatoform patients. Nonsensitive controls (n=36) were compared to subjects with moderate (n=35) and high (n=35) MCS intensity with self-report psychological questionnaires and structured interviews for depression and somatoform disorders. The high MCS group scored significantly higher than the other two groups on self-report scales for somatoform symptoms and depression. Moreover, high MCS was strongly associated with the diagnosis of somatoform disorder, and weaker but still significantly with depression. In a stepwise multiple regression analysis, cognitions about environmental threat, trait anxiety, focus on autonomic sensations, and general environmental sensitivity predicted MCS symptoms in the total sample, explaining 53% of the variance. These results support the hypothesis that trait negativity and mechanisms of symptom perception and symptom amplification contribute to the enhanced symptom reports of MCS individuals.